This morning we woke up surrounded by shield volcanoes that make up one of the biggest islands in the Galapagos archipelago, Isabela. Today we began our early expedition on Urbina Bay, located at the western side of Isabela. It has a great geological history. In 1954, one square mile of the marine reef off the coast of Urbina Bay was uplifted unexpectedly by as much as 15 feet, which left some marine creatures in high and dry areas. Some evidence of this geological event was much appreciated by our guests that challenged themselves by taking a long hike with boulders and big coral heads exposed along the shoreline.
The landing beach astonished our explorers due to the hundreds of sea turtle nests found on the dunes. The walk on the island was enjoyed by the explorers that accompanied us on short and long adventures. The Galapagos tortoises were exploring new grounds and we were able to see a few of them that were foraging on the new vegetation found inland. This unique experience continued into the dense vegetation, where colorful Galapagos land iguanas were found. After a long walk, and enchanted with the songs of Darwin finches, mockingbirds and warblers, we reached the coastline of Urbina that once was underwater. Children as well as adults stayed on the beach for swimming and sharing their surprising experience in Urbina Bay.
In the afternoon we had several ways to enjoy the magical wildlife of the western realm. A close encounter with penguins, cormorants and other shorebirds was the goal for explorers who went kayaking. Others wanted to enjoy the underwater realm and went snorkeling along the shoreline of Tagus Cove where they found harlequin wrasses, bravo clinid, balloonfish, Peruvian grunts, dusky chubs among other unique species to the place. Sea turtles and Galápagos penguins were also sighted in the snorkeling area.
Late in the afternoon many of our explorers chose to go for a scenic walk on the rim of a tuff cone while others went for a Zodiac ride along the captivating coastline of Isabela. The day ended with the sun setting behind Fernandina Island.
